Since taking out his professional racehorse trainer's licence in 1975, Martin Pipe CBE has taken traditional and orthodox training methods and techniques and turned them upside down. In doing so he has also taken the record books and turned them into confetti.

Born 29th May 1945 in Wellington Hospital, Somerset, Martin Charles Pipe is the son of late West Country bookmaker David Pipe Snr. Indeed, Martin's early ambitions were not in the direction of training, but to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a "Turf Accountant", serving his apprenticeship in the Taunton office.

When his father sold his chain of betting offices in 1973 and bought a derelict pig farm, Martin started his training career with a few Point to Pointer's - just for fun. After enjoying his initial successes in the amateur ranks, Martin turned professional trainer and produced his first winner "under rules" on 9th May 1975, in a selling hurdle at Taunton with the appropriately named "Hit Parade". Since then the winners have continued to flow in ever more increasing and regular fashion, and in the 1999/2000 season, he smashed his own record by producing a staggering 243 winners in a single term.

Martin Pipe stood at the pinnacle of his profession for many years as the only British trainer to have produced over 200 winners in a season 8 times, as well as breaking record after record. Not only does he hold the record for the most win and place prize money in a single season of £2,827,073 in 2004/2005 but he is the only British National Hunt trainer to win over 4,000 races! He also holds the record for the fastest 50, 100, 150 and 200 winners in a season. Martin won the trainers championship a record 15 times and provided some thrilling end of season tussles with his closest rival, Paul Nicholls.

At the end of the 2005/2006 season Martin made a very difficult decision - he announced his retirement live on 'The Morning Line' and shocked the entire racing community. Due to ill health he thought it was the best time to hand over the reins of the Pond House Academy to his son, David. David has been champing at the bit to take over since he retired from training point to pointers in 2004. If you ask anybody involved in the operation at Nicholashayne they will all tell you the same - Martin Pipe will only ever semi-retire! Although he has now been demoted to assistant trainer he is still on hand to give David all of the expert knowledge and advice that he requires.

In 2000 Martin was awarded his biggest accolade yet, a CBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List - a well deserved recognition for a career that has revolutionised racehorse training forever. Then in 2007 Martin was awarded a Doctorship from Liverpool University. The Doctorship in Science was awarded to Martin for his scientifical approach to the training of racehorses.

During his tremendous career Martin has saddled more winners than any other trainer, a record of 4182 winners. 3930 of them were under National Hunt rules and 253 on the flat.